This week’s best metal song is by… Demi Lovato?
And is Nita Strauss behind the track’s gritty drop-tuned riffs?
Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Demi Lovato’s hardly the first name that springs to mind when you think of rock or metal. But with her surprise new track Swine, she makes a strong case that she should be considered.
The track – a standalone single that protests the one-year anniversary of the reversal of Roe v Wade – is a pummeling, attitude-loaded number with heavily riff-driven verse sections and an anthemic chorus. It’s got all the markers of a killer metal song, and Lovato executes with aplomb.
While we can’t yet find a list of personnel who contributed to the track, it’s possible that Nita Strauss is behind its gritty, drop-tuned riffs. That is, because the guitarist and Alice Cooper collaborator joined Lovato’s backing band last year and earlier this year for her Holy Fvck tour, supporting her most recent album of the same name.
In an Instagram post accompanying the track’s release, Lovato writes: “It’s been one year since the Supreme Court’s decision to dismantle the constitutional right to a safe abortion, and although the path forward will be challenging, we must continue to be united in our fight for reproductive justice.
“I created Swine to amplify the voices of those who advocate for choice and bodily autonomy. I want this song to empower not only the birthing people of this country, but everyone who stands up for equality, to embrace their agency and fight for a world where every person’s right to make decisions about their own body is honoured.”
Per Billboard, for a period of one year, net profits from Swine will be donated to the Reproductive Justice Fund at the Demi Lovato Foundation, which will then be donated to three non-profit organizations: NARAL Pro-Choice America, Plan C and The National Network of Abortion Funds.
Swine is not Lovato’s first foray into heavier musical territory than her pop roots. Her latest full-length, Holy Fvck saw her dive into grittier territory, experimenting with guitar-driven punk, rock and metal arrangements.
In an interview with Guitar World last year, Nita Strauss revealed that Demi Lovato is a “total metalhead”.
“Demi has been taking lessons with me since we started rehearsals. She’s playing an Ibanez on stage and really going for it…
“She’s a total metalhead. I’ve been quoted saying that a lot and it’s true. We did the first gig only a few weeks ago in Springfield, Illinois. I walked past a dressing room and could hear somebody listening to Megadeth, and it was Demi. There she was, getting ready for the show.
“She’s not trying to fool anyone with air guitar or any kind of act; she’s finally being her genuine self. It’s a big move for Demi, you know? She had a very safe pop career that she didn’t need to mess with but she chose to step out and play the music she loves.”